Sometimes
by Itarille Celebrindal
Summary: Sometimes you can't really appreciate what you have until you almost lose it.


She had long ago had an amulet enchanted by one of the other casters to allow her to watch the battles on the field at a closer range. In the moments during which she was regaining mana for her nukes, she often palmed the small blue jewel and closed her eyes, its power taking her to the forefront and, more specifically, to the Battle Cleric Commander, Sheritanas Amanyar.

Twisting the object in her hand, she scanned 360 degrees around the tall, elven male, looking for enemies who might have slipped past his warrior guard. It wasn't that she doubted his ability to protect himself, it was simply that she doubted the men around him, unsure of their ability to keep his back clear and unattacked so that he could heal.

She flicked her fingers absently, murming beneath her breath and watched in silent satisfaction as one of the enemy dropped to the ground, screaming as his flesh burned from his bones. It was never said that War Mage Illiandra was anything but thorough.

Her work done for the moment, she released the amulet, letting it fall back to its nesting place between her breasts as she turned her attention to other parts of the battlefield, murmuring spells and tossing them into the fray with a practised ease that revealed her experience. Ice, fire, and lightning flew from her fingertips with deadly intent, leaving no one in their path untouched. There was a reason the casters were invaluable to the troops, aside from their shortening battle times, sometimes by more than half.

Brushing aside a lock of white-gold hair, she turned to the far side of the battle field and let loose with a Tears spell that affected an entire group, leaving them writhing on the ground, easy prey for her own warriors who gladly stepped in to finish them off.

The battle was going well, she noted with a smug smile, her blue eyes taking in the active casters and her own apprentice, a young wizard by the name of Soren who was eagerly setting alight the enemy with bright green eyes. She nodded her approval, then turned back to the battle, her hand absently patting the amulet's surface.

A sudden montage of images bombarded her mind, evoking a gasp from her lips as she doubled over at the barrage. Simply stroking the metal should not have activated the enchantment, but for some reason it had done so, giving the wizard a suddenly terrifying insight into the battle below.

At some point during her survey of the rest of the field, the enemy had broken through the warriors in Unit 1 and had encircled the unaware cleric at the center. She froze, watching through a frightened mental gaze as he engaged them, swinging his weapon in a broad arc, knocking several back.

"There's no way…" Illiandra murmured, voice toned low with concern.

It was well-founded. One of the enemy had side-stepped the blow, moving in with a sharp blow to the elf's stomach, doubling him over. Another took use of the advantage, landing another blow to his back and forcing the cleric to his knees while the others regained their feet and pressed inward. Metal glinted in the sunlight as a short sword was raised above the dark haired commander's head.

"NO!"

The scream ripped free from her lungs and echoed loudly over the battlefield. She closed her eyes tightly again and disappeared in an explosion of raw power, appearing yards away, in front of a kneeling cleric. Metal screeched against metal as she raised her wrists, catching the swordfall on her metallic wristbands as her knees threatened to buckle beneath her.

The sword disengaged, its owner's eyes wide with surprise and suspicion as they regard her. But it was his own downfall as it allowed the slender elven woman to murmur again beneath her breath. Flames rained down around them, striking the enemy with huge puffs of smoke until many were but charred carcasses upon the ground. Illiandra turned again, blue eyes bright with fury and murmured a simple word that decimated the opponent to such a degree that nothing was left.

She turned again, lips forming the same spell, but the words never left them. Instead came a flash of metal and a gasp of pain as a sword slid cleanly across her bared abdomen. The wizard stared up in shock as she fell to her knees, a river of red coursing its way down her body, stomach laid bare by the stroke.

The sight of blood seemed to shock the elf behind her into action. He leapt up, ignoring the sting of his own wounds and swung his Soulstripper at the owner of the sword, crushing bones with the powerful blow. It left only one, and he was curled upon the ground, skin still smoking from the blonde wizard's powerful spell. He too was cleanly dispatched by the Battle Cleric, who then knelt by the wizard's side, drawing her into his arms, ignoring the blood that slickened her skin.

Grasping an amulet that lay beneath his armour, the cleric disappeared in a flash of white light, his precious cargo safely ensconced within his arms. All the Battle Clerics had been given wizard spelled amulets meant to teleport a party of two to the healing tent. It had, in fact, been spelled by the wizard he now held and was a particularly effective teleportation spell that had them there in mere seconds.

None of the attendings clerics had ever seen their field commander as alarmed as he now looked, with pale skin and dark eyes wide with concern as he deposited his passenger upon a cot, dropping to his knees beside her as he examined the wound that still bled heavily.

He cursed softly, placing his hands above her paling body as he murmured the words to a healing spell he rarely used on the field as it depleted his mana to an unsuitable degree.

Blue light flared up around the pair, centering around the ugly gash on the wizard's stomach. It faltered once…twice…before flaring brightly once more and sealing the wound until only a scar remained. The woman on the bed continued to pale for several minutes before colour slowly began to seep into her skin.

The cleric watched with worried eyes for several moments, the din of the ongoing battle all but disappearing from his mind as he kept guard, his weapon forgotten upon the ground beside him. He moved not an inch until a soft groan escaped the War Mage's lips and he felt a movement in the hand he held within his own.

Dark lashes fluttered softly, then opened to reveal bright blue eyes that stared at him hazily from within a pale oval of fine bones. He leaned forward then, grasping her by the shoulders as she struggled to sit up.

"What were you thinking?" he said harshly, shaking her, "Don't ever do that again!"

She stared at him wide eyed, almost frightened as she doubled over coughing for a moment.

The sound seemed to reassure him and he suddenly shifted his hands to encircle her slender waist, pulling her against him as he buried his face in her shoulder with a shuddered breath. The blonde hesitated once, then curled her arms around him slowly to avoid pulling her scar and ran a gentle hand through his dark locks.

"I almost lost you…" came the soft whisper, breath hot against her skin.

The Battle Cleric Commander held her tightly, then looked up at her face, at the blue eyes beginning to shimmer with tears.

"I love you…I don't want to lose you."

The War Mage's lips curved into a brilliant smile and a tear slipped free of her eyes as she embraced him again.

"You won't," she murmured, "I'm always here…"

She could feel the dark haired elf's nod against her shoulder and she smiled briefly again.

Sometimes it took almost losing someone to make people realise how much they meant to them.


End file.
